San Juan Capistrano Ca Agriculture

The city's Community Redevelopment Agency allocated $75,000 this week for start-up costs for its first agricultural venture--the 46-acre Kinoshita Farm. The money will be deposited in a bank for management and operation of the farm, according to a report from David P. Bentz, the city's finance officer. More money will be needed later, until the first sale of crops takes place, Bentz said. The agency bought the farm and a 112-year-old farmhouse for $9.

Conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow rippled across Shig Kinoshita's face as he watched customers line up to buy the latest picking of strawberries. For Kinoshita and his brother, Bob, the spring crop is bittersweet: it is their final harvest from the soil of the San Juan Capistrano farm their family has worked for nearly 40 years. On Friday, the brothers will retire and the last family farm in San Juan Capistrano will vanish.

Longtime farmer Shigeru Kinoshita got a check for $1 million and the city got a 56.5-acre farm last week, completing a $9.5-million land deal and open-space agreement announced last October. Under the terms of the deal, Kinoshita received the $1-million check from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. The check represents the first payment and will be followed by 20 years of interest-only, tax-exempt payments, with the balance due in 2011, according to a report released by the city.

The city's Community Redevelopment Agency allocated $75,000 this week for start-up costs for its first agricultural venture--the 46-acre Kinoshita Farm. The money will be deposited in a bank for management and operation of the farm, according to a report from David P. Bentz, the city's finance officer. More money will be needed later, until the first sale of crops takes place, Bentz said. The agency bought the farm and a 112-year-old farmhouse for $9.

In the northernmost reaches of this historic city, the citrus trees tell a story. Left unirrigated, the trees that line Camino Capistrano have withered, testimony to the fading farming experience in this fertile valley, farmers say. On Tuesday, city voters decide whether to approve a $21-million bond issue to purchase some of the city's dwindling farmland to convert it into a park.

The San Juan Capistrano City Council on Tuesday night took a first step toward buying 200 acres of farmland to prevent its development. The council agreed to a proposal by Mayor Gary Hausdorfer that the city hire consultants to study the idea of selling a municipal bond to raise money for the land. That bond, if approved by voters, would act as a savings account, giving the city funds to buy land from farmers in the open market.

Conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow rippled across Shig Kinoshita's face as he watched customers line up to buy the latest picking of strawberries. For Kinoshita and his brother, Bob, the spring crop is bittersweet: it is their final harvest from the soil of the San Juan Capistrano farm their family has worked for nearly 40 years. On Friday, the brothers will retire and the last family farm in San Juan Capistrano will vanish.

Longtime farmer Shigeru Kinoshita got a check for $1 million and the city got a 56.5-acre farm last week, completing a $9.5-million land deal and open-space agreement announced last October. Under the terms of the deal, Kinoshita received the $1-million check from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. The check represents the first payment and will be followed by 20 years of interest-only, tax-exempt payments, with the balance due in 2011, according to a report released by the city.

In the northernmost reaches of this historic city, the citrus trees tell a story. Left unirrigated, the trees that line Camino Capistrano have withered, testimony to the fading farming experience in this fertile valley, farmers say. On Tuesday, city voters decide whether to approve a $21-million bond issue to purchase some of the city's dwindling farmland to convert it into a park.

The San Juan Capistrano City Council on Tuesday night took a first step toward buying 200 acres of farmland to prevent its development. The council agreed to a proposal by Mayor Gary Hausdorfer that the city hire consultants to study the idea of selling a municipal bond to raise money for the land. That bond, if approved by voters, would act as a savings account, giving the city funds to buy land from farmers in the open market.